Each September, the industry casts a light on the “heart of the house” in celebration of National Housekeeping Week. This year, we asked three senior leaders at Davidson about their time in the housekeeping department throughout their esteemed careers. Read their stories below:

Harry Carr
Senior Vice President, Revenue Management

When did you work in the housekeeping department and what was your responsibility/oversight?
I started my career at Vail resorts at the front desk in 1995 and moved to housekeeping as an assistant executive housekeeper in 1996 through 1997. In 1997, I moved to Denver and worked as an assistant executive housekeeper for the 1238 room Adams Mark hotel which is now the Sheraton Denver Downtown. I oversaw housekeeping, laundry and we was there when the hotel added 600 rooms in the adjacent building. In 1998, I took a job at the Radisson Denver as the executive housekeeper and oversaw the entire department including laundry. I was in that position for 2 years until I was promoted to rooms division manager.

What did your career journey look like before and after your experience in housekeeping?
I was at the front desk until I helped housekeeping during the off season at the ski resort. I enjoyed my time and when a position opened, I moved to housekeeping. I was promoted to rooms division and worked with reservations during the early days of online bookings and the OTAs which launched my revenue management experience.

What were some of the personal takeaways/learnings from your experience within this department?
Housekeeping taught me attention to detail, cooperation, and a sense of urgency. The housekeeping team is one of the most diverse teams in our industry. At the Adams Mark, we had 8 languages which made the morning meeting interesting but I learned so much about different cultures and to be honest the pot-luck lunches were amazing! There is a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day because you have cleaned all the rooms but you know you have to start all over again and exceed the guest’s expectations.

How would you describe the heart of the house and the value our housekeepers bring to an organization?
Housekeepers have the toughest job in a hotel. Sometimes making 20+ beds a day, dealing with messy guests, and keeping a smile on their face. You wouldn’t believe all the gross things they deal with! It’s also difficult when a clean room is taken for granted and many people only notice when there is a mistake, and a towel is missing, or a bathroom isn’t perfect.

Anything else to add?
My time in housekeeping was perhaps my favorite time in hospitality. The department truly feels like a family.

Robert Morse
Vice President, Revenue Management

When did you work in the housekeeping department and what was your responsibility/oversight?
I started in Housekeeping at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown in 2002 as the Director of Services. My responsibility to was to ensure cleanliness throughout the Hotel and I was responsible for anything that didn’t go on a plate or in a glass.

What did your career journey look like before and after your experience in housekeeping?
I started my career journey in the Front Office and spent almost twelve years in Front Office Operations. In 1999, I moved over to Revenue Management. In 2001, an old boss of mine reached out as White Lodging needed a Front Office Manager with Marriott experience to open their largest hotel. My path at that point was to become a General Manager but as the company grew, they needed me back in Revenue Management.

What were some of the personal takeaways/learnings from your experience within this department?
I was apprehensive about going down to housekeeping; however, I will say once I got to housekeeping it was one of my most favorite roles. Worling with the ladies and gentlemen in housekeeping helped me to improve my interpersonal management skill set. These people who are rarely seen by the guests are some of the hardest workers and you know that it is some of the hardest work for the lowest pay and yet they keep such a positive attitude.

How would you describe the heart of the house and the value our housekeepers bring to an organization?
The heart of the house is really the foundation of the hotel. This is backbreaking work, and they do it with pride each and every day. Some for 20 plus years. As part of my training, I was given three rooms to clean and then inspected. There was no way I could do this in the 20 minutes that was expected, yet these hard-working individuals do it and then head home to their families to work even more to get dinner on the table or in the morning the kids off to school.

Kenny Imafidon
Vice President, Operational Excellence

When did you work in the housekeeping department and what was your responsibility/oversight?
I had two stints in housekeeping. My first time in housekeeping was between 2007 to 2010 when I was hired a year after graduating college at the Sheraton New York at Times Square as a Housekeeping Manager. The hotel had 1780 rooms and 55,000 square feet of meeting space. This was a housekeeping department of 300+ team members. In this role, I started as a section manager managing 5 of the 50 floors of the hotel. A section had up to 275 rooms and required leading 15 to 20 room attendants and 2 floor house attendants. I would then move to become a project manager for the department. My responsibilities with this assignment were purchasing, receiving and budgeting for the Rooms division comprised of Housekeeping, Front Desk, and guest services, ensuring all departments stayed within budget and generated cost savings on an annual basis. In addition to this I was responsible for managing the public space of the hotel which included the 55,000 square feet of meeting space. We had a lot of high-profile events at the hotel and while ensuring the space was clean and well maintained for the events, I had the opportunity to meet several US presidents, athletes, actors and musicians. My second stint in Housekeeping was from 2017 to 2018 as the Director of Housekeeping at the New York Marriott Marquis. In this role I Oversaw the operations and financials of the Housekeeping, Valet, and Fitness Center Departments at a 1966-room property with 48 event spaces and over 100,000 square feet of meeting space. I Led a team of 4 Assistant Directors, 20 Managers and 300+ associates and achieved a 7-point year over year increase in associate satisfaction.

What did your career journey look like before and after your experience in housekeeping?
I stumbled into Housekeeping and the Hotel Industry in General. I graduated college in 2006 with a degree in Business Administration and always envisioned myself working down on Wall Street. This was also around the time of the first recession. In late 2006 right before Thanksgiving, I was laid off from a sales and marketing job that I had with a publishing company in Poughkeepsie, NY. At this time my student loans and new bills were kicking in so in search of employment, I started working my network and through persistence and someone who would end up being a great friend and mentor of mine to this day landed an interview at the Sheraton New York at Times Square for a Housekeeping Manager role. At the time what I didn’t know was that my Director of Housekeeping, Director of Operations, and HR Director 100% going out on the limb and taking a chance on me, but I am glad that they all did and that I was able to prove them right in their decision to give me the opportunity.

What were some of the personal takeaways/learnings from your experience within this department?
The housekeeping department taught me how to lead people. This was especially the case in my first role as a housekeeping manager. I oversaw leading a team who was way more tenured and experienced in the role and field than I was. I learned to come in from a place of humility and curiosity. I didn’t know the term at the time, but it taught me a style of servant leadership. I always tell people that there is not a more honest group of people at any hotel than room attendants. The directness and genuine care from them have truly contributed to shaping me and the way that I lead teams today.

How would you describe the heart of the house and the value our housekeepers bring to an organization?
Room Attendants are at the heart of the hotel. The fun doesn’t start in the Cafeteria, Team member appreciation events or Holiday Parties until they show up. They are in our hotel rooms every day and have many frequent guest interactions and are able to communicate what’s happening within the hotel. They have the pulse of the operation and if you let them, they will give you some of the best advice about the department and the hotel.